Man faces new stabbing charges

Accused was found not criminally responsible for 2002 incident in Halifax

A Halifax man who was found not criminally responsible for a double stabbing in 2002 is facing two attempted murder charges after a double stabbing in the city on Monday.

The new charges against Jason Patrick Tolliver, 40, stem from a 11:45 p.m. incident at Ahern Manor on Gottingen Street.

Halifax Regional Police said two women and a man were inside an apartment there when another man entered. An altercation broke out and police allege the new arrival stabbed a 44-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman.

Police said some of the injuries were serious but not life threatening.

Officers arrested a suspect nearby shortly afterwards.

On Tuesday, Tolliver stayed in the cells while his arraignment took place in Halifax provincial court.

Tolliver was sent to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for an assessment. The case returns to court on May 27.

Some residents of Ahern Manor, who did not want to be identified, said the incident took place on the third floor. They said the male victim was stabbed from behind while the woman, who is in a relationship with the accused, was wounded in her neck and chest.

The residents said the injured man fought back and the suspect left the building, via a south-side door, leaving a trail of blood.

Blood stains were still on the sidewalk Tuesday morning. They led from the doorway all the way to Gottingen Street, then across the street to the sidewalk in front of Kit Kat Pizza.

Staff there used water to wash the blood away but did not want to comment on the matter.

The male victim returned to the building at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. He wore jeans and a hospital shirt. He was not limping and his face showed no signs of injury.

He declined an interview request.

The incident comes one day after another man, Maurice Edward Downey, 30, appeared in Halifax provincial court on two attempted murder charges for stabbing two women in the same building on March 23. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Monday.

The building is operated by the Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority.

The building’s security system has many features, including cameras that are trained on the doors, some residents said.

Locks on the entrances were working Tuesday morning, but residents said people occasionally leave objects in the doors to prop them open. They also said security staff do regular inspections of the building, during which they check the doors.

In 2000, Tolliver and two other men were convicted of kidnapping and aggravated assault. The charges followed a September 1999 attack against a man who was taken to East Preston against his will, duct-taped to a tree and cut in the neck with a machete. Tolliver received a two-year sentence for that crime.

In January 2005, Tolliver was found not criminally responsible of attempted murder after stabbing one man in the neck and another in the arm at the Mulgrave Park housing project in October 2002.

In his decision, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Felix Cacchione said, “I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt … that Mr. Tolliver did commit the acts. I am also satisfied that there is sufficient evidentiary basis for finding that he suffers from a disease of the mind.”

Tolliver spent two years at a forensic hospital prior to that court appearance.

Two forensic psychiatrists told Tolliver’s hearing then that he had a delusional disorder. Cacchione sent Tolliver back to the hospital.